Previously on Tales and Takes, on December 7th I wrote a piece about Aroldis Chapman going to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a blockbuster trade. On that same night the trade broke down due to Chapman’s domestic dispute. Yesterday, Chapman became a Yankee.
Ken Rosenthal tweeted:
Official: Aroldis Chapman to #Yankees.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 28, 2015
In an official post from ESPN.com reported:
The New York Yankees have bolstered an already dominant bullpen by acquiring hard-throwing All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman from the Cincinnati Reds for four minor leaguers, the teams announced Monday.
The Reds, who have shed several veterans in the past six months, get right-handers Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis and infielders Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda from New York.
In a video from Yes Network, they explain the Chapman trade:
Brian Cashman, general manager of the Yankees also elaborated on the risks it took to acquire Chapman.
“Certainly there are some serious issues here that are in play”, said Cashman, who commented on the Chapman saga. “I think it’s certainly reflected in some of the acquisition price. There’s risk, and I understand that. … We’ve done as much due diligence on the subject at hand as we possibly can, and we’ve completed the transaction based on a lot of that due diligence.”
Cashman also said that the Yankees’ want to hold onto Miller, Betances, and Chapman for 2016. Cashman has not yet named a closer.
Walt Jocketty, general manager of the Cincinatti Reds also had many comments about the trade. Namely, he’s happy with this trade because of the many Major League-ready prospects.
“That’s what I’m looking for. I want guys that can help us the next year or two,” said Jocketty. “I told our guys when we were researching different clubs that it’s nice to have guys who are long-range prospects, but we need guys in the next couple of years and that’s why we’re looking more for Double-A and Triple-A guys.”
My Take
The Yankees bullpen has been instantly bolstered once again. They already have Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances. Although New York had the 16th ranked bullpen in 2015 with a 3.70 ERA, Chapman had a 1.63 ERA in 2015 and gives the Yankees a fireball pitcher who can reach speeds routinely in the hundreds.
Chapman may be a headache for the Yankees with domestic violence allegations against him. However, if he can reform himself, he will become part of a bullpen that pretty much has 3 closers.
